films Archives

Sui Dhaaga Review: A Fine Portrait of the Emotional Labour of Small-Town Women

Sharat Katariya’s Sui Dhaaga falters in several places, but it shines when the spotlight is on its women. In a film about dignity of labour, Katariya’s mastery is most evident in parts where the focus is on the immense emotional and domestic labour every married small-town woman inevitably shoulders.

Poulomi Das July 30, 2016

People

The Wind Will Carry You, Abbas Kiarostami

Kiarostami’s films didn’t remind me of particular incidents from my own youth, but they revived the sensory and emotional experiences of childhood.

Simran Bhalla July 24, 2016

Pop Culture

Thor: Ragnarok and the Marvel of Self-Parody

Thor: Ragnarok is a road trip loaded with more jokes than the Bill Burr stand-up, more emotion than the fakery of the second Guardians movie, and perhaps the best CGI ever in a superhero film.

Arré Bench July 16, 2016

Bollywood

Are We Ready for Bobby Deol’s Dhai Kilo Ka Comeback?

Back in the day, there was something about Bobby Deol – the curls and the dimples, the biceps and the dancing movies. But soon, he became a meme. Now, rising from the ashes of all those jokes, Deol is a man approaching 50, and ready to make a comeback with Race 3.

Hriday Ranjan July 13, 2016

Bollywood

The Celebrity Death Syndrome: Mortality on Our Minds

Death happens. We ignore it, if we can. When we can’t, as is in the case of celebrities like Sridevi or a loved one, we rush deep into denial, frantically looking for scapegoats to explain the freak occurrence. And then we move on.

Runjhun Noopur July 2, 2016

Gender

Despite Bollywood Influences, I am Raising Two Feminist Sons. Here’s How To Do It

My sons and I love watching Bollywood movies together, but finding a film devoid of misogyny, objectification of women, and innuendo is a task. How do I explain to my kids what is wrong with “6 din, Ladki in” when SRK is mouthing it as if it’s the most chivalrous way to woo a girl in Kal Ho Naa Ho?

Aarti Pathak July 1, 2016

Pop Culture

F/riction: Asaram, Spotlight, and the Unchecked Power of Faith

Welcome to F/riction, a column on films and books that mirror the big nasty of the week. This week, the conversation around sexual assault and the sentencing of Asaram, the godman who raped a teenager in 2013, takes us back to Spotlight, which lifted the veil on systemic child abuse in the Boston area by Roman Catholic priests.

Vishwas Kulkarni June 28, 2016

Pop Culture

A Good Time To Be Robert Pattinson

Pattinson’s live-wire turn as Connie in Good Time – his best showing by some measure – is the most tragic character played on film last year. But does it compare with the two leading contenders for the Best Actor Award at the Oscars?

Manik Sharma June 23, 2016

POV

“Paani Chala Gaya”: Why India Will Never Have its The Shape of Water

Would the creature from The Shape of Water, who needs to stay hydrated all the time, fall in love in India, staring at its own version of the water crisis? He might be an anti-hero instead, avenging the loss of his habitat from the worst of us.

Runa Mukherjee June 7, 2016

Pop Culture

Thanks for The Princess Switch, Netflix. But I’d Rather Watch Love Actually

Holiday films are to me what Tom and Jerry is to children, so I was overjoyed when Netflix released two holiday season films last week – The Princess Switch and A Christmas Prince. They’re my gloomiest holiday binge ever.

Sehaj K May 23, 2016